From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Assam government is not considering the appeal from some civil society pro-peace groups to grant general amnesty to the members and the leaders of the pro-talks faction of United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA).
“There has not been any precedence of granting general amnesty to any militants who have come over ground and engage themselves in peace dialogue with the government. So the question of granting general amnesty to pro-talks ULFA faction members is not under consideration of the government,according to a source in the state Home Department informed.
Sanmilita Jatiya Abhibartan (SJA), a forum of intellectuals who played a key role in facilitating dialogue between Government of India and the ULFA faction led by its chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, and some other civil society groups want the government to withdraw cases.
It may be mentioned that some of the ULFA members who are now engaged in peace dialogue with the government have many serious cases pending against their name for their alleged involvement in anti-national and criminal activities during their ‘armed struggle’ aimed at liberating Assam from the clutches of ‘colonial Indian rulers’.
Not only ULFA pro-talks faction, militants belonging to other groups like now disbanded Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT), Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) faction led by Dilip Nunisa, United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), pro-talks faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) which have been talking with the government of India, have cases pending against them.
The militants of the now disbanded BLT which signed Bodo Peace Accord in 2003, formed a political party called Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) and were even elected to rule the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). The BPF is now an ally of the ruling Congress in Assam.
